Long Islanders Win $8 Million On Scratch-Off Games

Two Long Island residents have won a combined $8 million on scratch-off games, the New York Lottery announced Wednesday.

Diana Orozco, of Long Beach, won $3 million playing "$3,000,000 Frenzy." And Medford resident Neal Damato claimed the top prize, worth $5 million, in the "Set For Life" game.

Orozco, who is self-employed in the clothing sale industry, said she likes to play scratch-off games every day. On Dec. 31, Orozco asked her husband to go to the store for her to buy a "$3,000,000 Frenzy" ticket.

Her husband scratched the ticket right away and called Orozco to tell her the good news. “He said ‘Oh my God! You won!’ and I said, ‘Won what?’ and he said ‘The jackpot!’" Orozco recalled. "I didn’t believe him. I thought he was joking. But when he got home and showed me the ticket, I knew right away that I won $3 million dollars."

Orozco said she is a bit overwhelmed by her jackpot win. “Sometimes you might feel like you are not going to win, but I am a true believer now."

Orozco has chosen to receive her prize as a one-time lump-sum payment of $2,410,000, netting her $1,594,938 after required withholdings. She said she plans to buy a house and a car and to save for the future.

In Suffolk, Damato's story begins with a hankering for a hamburger and ends with a lucky can of soup. The 71-year-old is a retired Suffolk County public safety supervisor and a former soldier and Army National Guard member. These days, Damato works part-time as a school bus driver.

“I was not working that day and told my wife that I wanted to go out for a burger for lunch,” Damato said. “After that, we did a couple of errands and my wife told me she wanted to go to Kohl’s. I sat in the car like I always do, feeling really stuffed from the burger. I decided to head over to the Stop and Shop for a can of soup for dinner because that’s all I had room for.”

Damato said his life changed forever before he ever made it back to the car. “I put $20 in the vending machine and got two of the same ['Set For Life'] tickets," he recalled. "I scratched the first ticket outside the store and stood there in disbelief thinking, ‘Something’s not right here.’ I double- and triple-checked and then went looking for my wife who was still in Kohl’s."

Damato has chosen to receive his prize as a one-time lump-sum payment, netting him $2,624,617 after required withholdings.

Damato said he planned to use his windfall to plan a Hawaiian vacation with his wife to celebrate the pair’s 50th wedding anniversary next month. "I’m trying to coax her into adding Tahiti to the itinerary, but I have a little more convincing to do," he said.

Damato’s wife, Carol, said the couple agrees about how to prioritize their prize money. “We both want to help our kids with their college bills and mortgages and pay off other bills the best we can,” she said.

“One thing is certain,” said Damato about that can of soup he decided to buy at the last minute. “No one will ever open that can. I want them to bury me with that lucky can of chicken noodle.”

Photo: New York Lottery